New Clause 9 - The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man
Crime (International Co-operation) Bill [Lords]
4:00 pm
Mr Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath, Conservative)
The hon. Gentleman is right, and he can now qualify himself as the grammatical conscience of the Labour Committee members. I should indeed have said that I wanted genuinely to thank, and I accept the correction entirely. [Interruption.] The hon. Member for Somerton and Frome begs to differ, but he can speak for himself. On this particular grammatical point, I am on the same side as the hon. Member for Greenock and Inverclyde, and I will consider my wrists well and truly slapped.
It is unusual for the Conservatives to introduce in the Commons a new clause that was introduced in the Lords by the Liberal Democrats, but I thought that it was worth getting this debate on the record. I know what the Minister will say and that I will accept her assertion that we cannot impose the Act on the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. However, as I will represent Parliament in two weeks at the next Tynwald opening, it will be helpful to refer back to this debate. That is why I wanted to have it.